Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
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Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
Hello all.. I am very fortunate to have a great piece of property to hunt that I can pretty much act as if the land is mine. Me and the landowner have grew a very great relationship and he almost gets as excited as I do about growing mature buck and helping me get the very best from his land. He has a square field that butts up to a ravine. The field is 1/2 soybean and 1/2 corn with a #3/4 acre clover/chicory plot carved out in the corner edge of the corn so I use the corn as a plot screen. The field is rounded a bit so you cannot see the wood line/plot from the farmhouse so the screen isn't the important thing here. He asked if I would want the corn and beans cut or left up, and honestly I have no clue. My thinking was to have him pick some corn and leave the beans stand? What do you guys think? I have a 1/4 acre kill plot a bit inside the woods so they stage before hitting the main plot so any info would be great here! Thanks!
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
If it's me, I'm leaving the corn standing for sure. It provides way more food than the beans AND it doubles as cover.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
I'd rather hunt farmland with standing corn any day than short crop to some extent. I believe the corn holds more deer on that farm due to that much more security
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
burkhart wrote:I don't think the deer care either way as long as there is food. I like beans for early season but once they go yellow deer don't like them till they are brown. Corn is better late season imo simply because it's loaded with carbs and sugars
Agreed!!
I see beans being a big draw though, almost year round! I think they eat the heck out of them both, but i lean towards beans mostly. I guess if you live where its cold alot corn would be the ticket. But beans would be alot cheaper and easier to take care of.
If I could, i would have both!!
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
You might think I'm crazy but a week or so before you really start hunting, just knock as much down as you can, beans and corn. Deer like to eat off the ground and they prefer that over eating off stalks. Personally, when we knock corn down (not cut) every deer in the field will come to that rather than eat off corn/beans that are still standing.
I learned this from having my buddy knock down about 1/5 of an acre of corn around a stand a couple years ago. I hunted that stand a full day in mid October and saw more deer that day than any other day that year. Tried this again last season and deer were all over it for a solid week after we knocked it down. Give it a try (even just a small spot) and I think you will be surprised.
I learned this from having my buddy knock down about 1/5 of an acre of corn around a stand a couple years ago. I hunted that stand a full day in mid October and saw more deer that day than any other day that year. Tried this again last season and deer were all over it for a solid week after we knocked it down. Give it a try (even just a small spot) and I think you will be surprised.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
If money isn't an issue and the farmer doesn't care about harvest, I'd leave the majority of everything Standing. Then every two weeks after the season starts, I'd go out with a bushog and mow a few strips of corn and beans so there is a new section of easy pickings on the ground. Chopping small areas throughout the season could be the best way to keep the deer there all season.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
I used to believe corn was better but after the last few years I would definitely leave the beans standing. Most people never see beans standing late season but a couple years ago I did. The weather kept the farmer from getting the beans out and the deer wouldn't stay out of them. I believe they feel secure in the standing beans but can move and see better. I've spent more time since focusing on late beans and have seen deer walk by corn harvested and standing to get to standing beans. Once the beans yellow the deer will leave them alone but once they are dry enough to harvest the deer start hitting them again. But when it starts getting cold which is late rut on most places, the won't stay out of them.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
If cover is already sufficient then it's a no brainer....beans for sure.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
I would leave the corn standing... There is a big draw when corn is 1st cut, (if the equipment is old and drops some) but then it disappears fast. Standing crops is a continual draw that gets better as it gets later, especially with corn.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
i always thought deer abandoned yellow beans in sept October because they were sprayed with defoliant to make the the leaves drop before harvesting. Around that time acorns kick in and are preferred over the beans that the deer been eating all summer.
I then thought deer came back to the beans in December because they had been laying in the field long enough for the defoliant to break down and rinse off from rain. I usually see deer in beans late season after leaves drop and most everything turns brown in the woods. I thought the acorns went rotten and other foods aren't as plentiful or beneficial as beans after the rut.
If you expect snow late season I'd think it might be best to leave crops standing. It's rare here for us to see snow during hunting season that's why I'd think to chop some of it in cycles.
I then thought deer came back to the beans in December because they had been laying in the field long enough for the defoliant to break down and rinse off from rain. I usually see deer in beans late season after leaves drop and most everything turns brown in the woods. I thought the acorns went rotten and other foods aren't as plentiful or beneficial as beans after the rut.
If you expect snow late season I'd think it might be best to leave crops standing. It's rare here for us to see snow during hunting season that's why I'd think to chop some of it in cycles.
Be original and Enjoy every step along the adventure.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
One year I think it was 2009, I paid my step dad to leave up some corn. But that Fall was wet, and in late November the neighbor still had not combined his corn, so I was kinda disappointed.
I don't see standing beans in December, so maybe that might be a thing to leave up.
I don't see standing beans in December, so maybe that might be a thing to leave up.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
I'm like those who say leave the corn standing food plus cover! May have to plan excess differently or at least thing about it before going in and messing up.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
Leave both standing. This is the dream scenario.
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Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
Are you planning on hunting over top of it? Or accessing in/out past it? Whether it's getting in in the morning or out in the evening, there's a huge advantage with corn. I know beans have a huge draw too and are more entertaining to hunt because you can see them out there feeding. But another advantage of corn is you won't blow the whole field out on enter/egress. Don't know what your set up is like but it's something to think about.
And if your deer population is high they'll clean a bean field out pretty fast. Beans yield roughly 50 bushels and acre?? Corn is 3x that if not more.
And if your deer population is high they'll clean a bean field out pretty fast. Beans yield roughly 50 bushels and acre?? Corn is 3x that if not more.
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Re: Leave Corn/Beans standing or cut?
All the info has been great so far guys.. Here's a layout of the property.
The two large green squares are the beans on the left and corn on the right. The small green square is my clover/chic plot. This is my huntstand app so you can see where my stands are. I have a stand on the corner of the plot and a blind as well. I have a stand at the north end of the field for a south wind. These field stands are for afternoon hunts only, I will access from the front of the property pending wind direction. I access morning stands on the ridge where they travel back to bedding from the back of the property. The inside green box is a kill plot I hunt afternoons as well.
The two large green squares are the beans on the left and corn on the right. The small green square is my clover/chic plot. This is my huntstand app so you can see where my stands are. I have a stand on the corner of the plot and a blind as well. I have a stand at the north end of the field for a south wind. These field stands are for afternoon hunts only, I will access from the front of the property pending wind direction. I access morning stands on the ridge where they travel back to bedding from the back of the property. The inside green box is a kill plot I hunt afternoons as well.
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